DALLAS, April 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Dean Foods Company announced today that Kelly Duffin-Maxwell has been appointed to the newly created position of Executive Vice President, Research & Development (R&D) and will report jointly to Gregg Engles, Dean Foods Chairman and CEO, and Joe Scalzo, President and Chief Executive Officer of the WhiteWave Foods and Morningstar divisions. Duffin-Maxwell has a long and successful track record in Research and Development and will be the driving force behind the newly opened Dean Foods Research & Development Center located in Broomfield, Colorado.

“We are placing an increased emphasis on brand-building and innovation and have strengthened our product development and marketing capabilities,” said Engles. “Kelly’s knowledge in converging science and business to the advantage of customers and consumers make her an important addition to Dean Foods.”

Duffin-Maxwell brings 20 years of experience from Kraft Foods where her most recent position was Senior Vice President, Breakthrough Innovation. In this role, she was responsible for creating original consumer platforms to accelerate the growth of Kraft Foods. She was also charged with building an open innovation organization that leverages external partnerships and develops future product pipeline growth for the company.

She has worked throughout the Kraft organization including in the Cheese, Convenient Meals and Grocery categories, as well as serving as Director, Basic Flavor and Ingredient Research for North America. For seven years, Kelly worked in Munich, Germany, where she led an organization of 350 people across 24 R&D sites in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Among her responsibilities was the Kraft Confectionery business, where she led R&D efforts on some of Europe’s leading chocolate brands, including Milka(R) and Toblerone(R).

About Dean Foods

Dean Foods Company is one of the leading food and beverage companies in the United States. Its Dairy Group division is the largest processor and distributor of milk and other dairy products in the country, with products sold under more than 50 familiar local and regional brands and a wide array of private labels. The Company’s WhiteWave Foods subsidiary markets and sells a variety of well-known dairy and dairy-related products, such as Silk(R)soymilk, Horizon Organic(R)milk and other dairy products and International Delight(R) coffee creamers. WhiteWave Foods’ Rachel’s Organic(R)brand is the largest organic milk brand and second largest organic yogurt brand in the United Kingdom.